Note: My Angelfire pages /Cruisingkeywest/
are not commercially oriented--NO one PAYS to
advertise here - but _some_ links do go to
commercial sites where advertisers have paid
to be listed at those sites, WITH THAT SAID,
There is ONE marina in the Keys that I feel
deserves
both a special recognition here and your
business
That Marina is ....

Some up-to-date info as of 1-4-98.
The free dinghy dock in the downtown area
(Duval Street) is at the north end of
Simonton Street called Simonton Beach.

The City of Key West has taken over the area
known as Key West Bight. No longer is there
free dinghy dockage at the Waterfront Market.
There are two fuel docks visible when
rounding the breakwater. The Texaco dock (24
33 47n:081 48 02w) is
known as Conch Harbor. (294-2933). Two piers
over the Chevron Dock is the Key West Bight
Dockmasters Office (296-3838).
Dinghy dockage rates for up to 10' max: $3 a
day;$15 week; $45 month. The dinghy dock is
an extension off Chevrons fuel
dock. The Chevron Fuel dock is located at the
extreme N end
of Margaret Street.
The Waterfront Market (296-0778) at 201
William Street has recently moved it's front
door to face Caroline St. and is a great
place
to provision.

The Two Best Marine Equipment and
Marine
Hardware Stores on the island of KW are just
a stones throw from the KW Bight. Just across
the parking lot from the entrance of the
Waterfront Market you will find the well
stocked Key West Marine Hardware (294-3425)
and a half a block west at the corner of
William and Caroline you will find West
Marine (295-0999)

Where to anchor?

I would not anchor in the vicinity of
Wisteria Island. The only time I anchor near
Wisteria is to join the spectator fleet
during
the World Championship Powerboat Races Held
in mid-November. When I have anchored on the
South side of Wisteria I do not recall
problems setting anchor, the reason I would
NOT anchor there is because of all the
traffic. The Charterboats passing through
the channel in the morning can generate some
miserable "good" morning wakes. Cruisers I
met in the Bahamas came to visit and anchored
there and after only one day they were ready
to
leave-- disgusted with the anchorage :-(
Once I directed them up the channel
off Fleming Key they were :-) and spent a
week. Two anchors are the norm -- set for
opposing tides. If you know a cold front is
coming it is a good idea to stay with your
boat even if you are confident in your
anchors as it is not uncommon for an
unattended
boat to break loose and take a tour of the
harbor..
The tide can run strongly in Key West Harbor
and you will rather motor than row.
Working East around Fleming key and back down
to the north coast of Key West you can find
The New City Run Mooring Field at Fleming Key
Basin
Is being administered By the Garrison Bight
Municipal
Marina (305) 292-8167

There may also be a few slips available at the
Garrison
Bight Municipal
Marina. Call the Dockmasters office at (305)
292-8167 latlon/ 24 33 39n; 081 47 13w.

Sailboats are assigned slips outside of fixed
bridge,for powerboats that can make it under
the bridge there are slips in the inner
bight.
Sailors should check the clearance for
powerlines
overhead before entering the outer bight.
Under the fixed bridge to Garrison Bight to
stbd seek Garrison Bight Marinas dinghy dock
w/ fresh water
spigot and
garbage disposal. Dinghy dock at 24 33 40n:
081 47 18w. Harbor Lights restaurant at end
of that dock overlooking bight (Closed as of
5-99 )

Farther east along the North shore is the
Overseas Market Shopping Center. also found
here TGI Fridays, Eckerd Drugs, eateries and
clothes stores across the street is Walgreens
and Walgreens Liquors next to Scottys Lumber
and Hardware.

Bicycles and mopeds can be rented at several
spots around Key West. Do be careful
bicycling around town and keep in mind that
(for its population) Key West is one of the
most dangerous cities in America to ride a
bike !

Another good way to get
an introduction to the Island will be to take
the BUS. Just find a city bus stop- Does not
matter which one; they both do laps around
the
island, one clockwise, one counter clock wise
and either will eventually return to the
spot where you were picked up.

As of July 1 1997 The Florida Keys
National
Marine Sanctuary
(F.K.N.M.S.) designation was
enacted and mariners should be advised that
damaging sanctuary resources can result in
fines. If your vessel grounds and you call
for a tow, the towing operator is required to
notify the FKNMS Damage Assessment Team, and
the fines for damaging living coral can be
extremely high, EXTREME DUE CARE navigating
the
Coral Reef Ecosystem of the FKNMS is
suggested.
Hurricane Georges scored pretty much a direct
hit along the lower Keys and Key West in Late
Sept 1998. Reported 80 Aids to Navigation
damaged or missing (check USCG's District 7
Notice to Mariners for up to
date nav aid info and corrections) , again
use Extreme Due
Care Navigating.

Anchoring in the Keys channels, most
anchorages
in the keys will be affected by tidal flow
and setting two anchors, one for each tide is
the norm here.

REEF RELIEF pioneered the mooring
buoy program in the 1980s These are now
being maintained by the sanctuary. There are
approx 116 standard White and blue mooring
buoys at many of the most popular reefs in
the lower keys - key west area. I
routinely (three times a day in the summer 7
days a week....) tied up to these buoys with a
57' heavy displacement beast of a sloop and I
can honestly report with out hesitation that
these moorings have EARNED my respect. The
proper procedure to use this type of buoy is
to grab the tag line with your boat hook (the
tag line is the yellow poly prop line
drifting from the bouy on the surface with an
eye splice at the end) then run your line(20'
for a 20' boat; 30' of line for a 30' boat
etc,etc-- the longer the better) through the
eye and back and secure to cleat. Do not put
the tag lines eye over your cleat (!!!) as
the
object here is to increase the horizontal
pull on the mooring and decrease vertical
loads.

-The Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPA's)
and Ecological Reserves (ER's) are NO TAKE
ZONES. This means no taking or killing any
lobster, fish, corals or other marine life in
these zones! which makes these zones great
places to go
snorkelling

The Special Use Areas are NO
ENTRY areas.
30" Yellow boundary buoys mark the zones.
Most of the Zones are fairly small and each
of the zones corners are marked with yellow
boundary buoys which create imaginary lines
marking the zone boundary. Larger zones have
more buoys so that the lines are easy to
understand. Do Not tie your boats to the
Yellow boundary buoys. Please use the standard
white and blue mooring buoys or anchor
carefully so your anchor does not touch
living coral!

The NO TAKE Zones in the Lower Keys at
Sand Key, Rock Key, Eastern Dry Rocks, are
all small well defined areas.

The Ecological
Reserve at the Western Sambos is the largest
No Take zone in the Sanctuary (bit a larger
one is being discussed off the Dry Tortugas)
and the
Boundary buoys Continue on either side of the
reef at the Western Sambos and continue all
the way to shore from the western end of the
reef to the entrance of Boca Chica Channel ,
the Eastern boundary being near day marker
#30 near the east end of the western Sambos
and continuing towards shore to a point just
east of day marker # 56 off Boca Chica Key.
The reef at Day marker # 28 Eastern Sambo's
is The Research area and a NO ENTRY ZONE

When inside of the No Take zones fishing
Equipment should be removed from deck and
secured below. (Not only are you not allowed
to fish in the NO take zones you are
encouraged to display to others that you are
not fishing by storing you fishing rods out
of sight.)

for more on Sanctuary Preservation Area's
and other zoning see
the FKNMS

It is not my
intention to
discourage anyone from visiting the Keys. its
just that I
have read posts from visiting cruisers who
felt that they
were picked on as a specific revenue source,
-BECAUSE-
they were cruisers/not from the Keys, and I
feel that is
completely unjustified perspective for a
visiting cruiser
who gets a ticket to entertain.. Locals are
just as likely
to be inspected or get a ticket.
Spot inspections are a fact of life
in the Keys....

If your vessel is 40 feet or greater you may
be asked for your Garbage management report,
here is an
example of mine

IF it is true that the FMP here are stricter
here than in other parts of Florida ( I don't
know that it is ) I would believe it was
because Monroe County and the Florida Keys
Lead Florida In Boating Accidents and Boating
Deaths. (Florida leads the country in boating
accidents and boating deaths) You are Boating
(in my opinion) NOT in the most dangerous
navigatable area of the United States, Just
the AREA WITH THE GREATEST LOSS OF LIFE ! I
don't know this to be the policy but I would
not be surprised to find out that because of
the high accident and death rate in the
Florida Keys that _ALL_ boaters (not just
visitors) are held to a STRICTER standard of
enforcement than other parts of the State in
a effort to keep the accident and death rates
from climbing EVEN HIGHER . . .

When the fishing regs say (lobster ) greater than
_ 3 inch carapice, They MEAN greater than a 3
inch carapice, NOT a 2 & 31/32 inch carapice;
not _THREE_ inches!!!!! they mean GREATER than 3" Just before
the season ended One of my neighbors got
caught with a short lobster, just 1/8th of an
inch short (or less) and got a citation for
$250.00 !
GET a current copy of "know your limits"
bring a fish identification guide, and an
ACCURATE MEASURING DEVICE and follow the
rules !